A Boy I Used to Love(83)

"What about her head?" I asked.

"Mild concussion. Mostly confused. Scared, and rightfully so. We have her medicated and resting." The doctor stopped at the hospital door. "River, I believe that's the least of her problems."

"Meaning what?"

"She suffered nerve damage in her lower back on impact."

"Doc, just lay it out for me."

"She has no feeling or movement in her legs."





River





YEARS AGO





I looked left and right. It was Charlie and Bill on each side. I had just won a fight, and the guy carrying the cash was being a prick about paying up. We were warned about this guy. I surveyed the scene and knew I needed to take a risk. I wasn't going to walk away without getting what I was owed.

Nobody expected me to throw a punch, though.

That was the way to do it though.

I hit the guy-his nickname was Slip-and sent him flying back. Cash went flying into the air. Me, Charlie, and Bill all went on a cash-grab. We had only seconds before Slip's crew realized what had happened and was coming after us.

"Run!" I yelled.

I turned and stuffed the cash into my pockets and took off.

Charlie and Bill did the same.

"You're fucking crazy!" Bill yelled. "They're going to kill us!"

"They can only kill us if they catch us!" I yelled, laughing.

"I've got the keys to the truck," Charlie said.

"Bill," I said. "You and me jump in the bed."

The truck was in sight.

The ground behind us felt like it was shaking. I looked back for a quick second and saw there had to be ten guys coming after us. I was surprised someone hadn't taken out a gun and shot at us. But if they did get us, they would beat us senseless and leave us for dead.

The truck came into view, and when I got close enough, I jumped. I went up and over, smashing into the hard bed of the truck. I rolled to my back and saw Bill trying to climb over. Charlie started the truck, and it was already moving.

I saw the look of terror on Bill's face.

I scrambled forward and grabbed his arms and pulled. The second I did, a baseball bat came down and smashed against the truck, leaving a dent.

"That would have hurt," I said to Bill as the truck picked up speed.

"Fuck you," Bill said, his voice crackling.

I started to laugh. The guys kept chasing the truck, but there was no way they were going to get to us. I threw them the finger and put my head back and looked up to the clear night sky.

Charlie drove us to the abandoned house where we parked and sat on the porch for a victory beer.

I touched my left eye and winced. It hurt pretty bad. Something might have been broken. I'd get it checked out tomorrow, maybe. First, I had some beer to enjoy. And some cash to count.



       
         
       
        

"What do we have?" I asked as Charlie was still smoothing out wrinkled and crumbled money.

"A lot," he said.

"Our earnings?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"Good. So it's fair."

"What if they come after us?" Bill asked.

"We deal with that if it happens," I said.

For the record, they never came after us. They knew they were in the wrong. We didn't rob anyone. We didn't kill anyone. We just took what was owed to us.

I finished my beer, and Charlie handed me my earnings. I counted it up and grinned wide.

"What's with that face?" Bill asked. "You never seemed to care about money before."

"I'm banking this shit now, man."

"For what?" Charlie asked.

I looked over my shoulder and nodded. "I think I want to save up and buy this place."

"This shit hole?" Charlie asked. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, man. Look at it. It's a beautiful house. Just needs some work. Right?"

"You're doing this for that girl," Bill said. "The one you won't let us meet."

"She doesn't need your asses corrupting her."

Bill and Charlie laughed.

"Come on, man," Charlie said. "She's upper middle-class, dude. That shit don't fly with guys like us."

"You don't know her," I said. "Lacey doesn't care about that stuff. When we're together … "

"Face it," Bill said. "You're the wrong in her world of right."

"What?"

"She probably gets anything she wants. She cries, and Mommy and Daddy give her anything. But you're the wrong. You know? You're the edge in her life, man. If she needs something wild. If she wants to hurt Mommy and Daddy. That's where you come in."

"No way," I said. "It's not like that."